


Confidence

by standbygo



Series: NaNoWriMo 2013 One Word Prompt Challenge [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Parenthood, Post - Deathly Hallows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 22:32:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/standbygo/pseuds/standbygo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry looked up from Albus’s first term report at his son, who looked as though he was working himself into a full size strop.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confidence

**Author's Note:**

> NaNoWriMo One Word Prompt Challenge: "Confidence", from Janet.

“I can’t _do_ it, Dad.”

Harry looked up from Albus’s first term report at his son, who looked as though he was working himself into a full size strop.   
   
“Your other marks are okay, I suppose. Herbology, Potions, Arithmancy aren’t too bad, Defense Against the Dark Arts – that’s really good, Albus, really proud of that mark – it’s just Charms that seems to be the problem.”

“Yeah, because I can’t _do_ it.”

Harry sighed. “First year at Hogwarts is a bit of challenge to everyone, being away from home for the first time-”

“ _That_ doesn’t bother me.” Harry felt a little pang at that, and pondered how children can sometimes wound without knowing. Albus peeked at him, perhaps realizing how that had sounded. “I mean I miss you and Mum and Lily, but the kids in my house are _aces_ , but… it’s just Charms. I just walk into the classroom and Professor Spacklett shows me and shows me and I just can’t _do_ it.”

Harry looked over Albus’s head at Ginny, who frowned slightly. 

“Albus, could it… could the teachers be treating you differently because of me? I spoke to the Headmaster before you started but…”

“You mean how could the son of the brilliant Harry Potter be such a stupid child? Oh, they’ve been very polite so far.”

“Hang on,” Harry said sharply. “What’s this?”

“Oh come on, Dad, you were the star of Hogwarts.”

“I was famous at Hogwarts for a very different reason, but certainly not for my classes. I struggled a lot, at first. If it hadn’t been for Aunt Hermione I’d probably have failed first year.”

Albus boggled at him. Clearly this had not occurred to him.

“I did all right in Herbology, like you, Potions was a trial, and I was absolute _pants_ at Charms.”

“Harry!”

“Sorry Ginny. I mean I was terrible at it.” Harry waited until Ginny’s back was turned again, then mouthed ‘ _pants’_ at Albus, who suppressed a giggle with his hand. 

“Remember, Albus, until two weeks before I arrived at Hogwarts, I didn’t even know magic was real.”

“What was the first spell you saw?” Albus asked, now fully attentive.

Harry decides not to mention Hagrid’s spells; a promise made twenty five years earlier was still a promise. “Aunt Hermione, on the train, fixed my glasses. She’d never been to a non-Muggle school, her family are Muggles, and she just nailed that spell, right off.”

He looked down at his son, and suddenly realized how he could get his point across. “There’s a couple of reasons why it worked for Aunt Hermione: first, she’d practiced all summer, since she got her letter. Second, well, she’s brilliant. But mostly, she knew it would work. I just remember that in her voice, when she said the words she just sounded so… confident. She knew it would work, and so it did.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” said Ginny, joining them in the sitting room. “If you walk into the classroom sure it won’t work, well, it won’t.”

Albus got the look on his face that Harry recognized as his ‘ _maybe you’re right but I need to think about it and I can’t let on that you might possibly be right_ ’ face. 

“Look,” he said, standing, “why don’t I send Aunt Hermione an owl and ask her to spend some time with you over the holiday, some extra tutoring.”

“Dad, it’s the _holidays_ ,” Albus said petulantly. 

“Two hours, max,” Harry promised.

“Fine,” Albus groaned. “Can I go?”

“Yeah. Off you go.”

Albus was out in the garden before Harry had even finished his sentence. He stood and gave Ginny a kiss on the cheek. “Need help, love?”

“Set the table, would you?”

Harry pulled out his wand and the silverware flew towards the table. He noticed Ginny giving him the side-eye.

“I thought you did pretty well in Charms in first year.”

Harry shrugged.

“In fact, didn’t you get an ‘Exceeds’-”

“Shush, you,” Harry grinned. 

_End_

 

**Author's Note:**

> For Maggie.


End file.
